Help! My project is dead in the water.

[darren121671]

Hey guys, I've got a 1970 ranger xlt that I bought 8 years ago. It's a manual 3 speed that I wanted to convert to power steering. So over the years I have been collecting parts along the way. I ran across this "manual power steering column." After a wedding, 2 roofs (1 for my house and 1 for my mom), 1 furnace, wife's student loan, and the great recession I'm finally getting started on it. I started mocking up the column with a ford gear box and the column is about an inch to long. I remember the guy telling me that the column was a 73-77 era. Here is my dilemma, I can not fine a core Bendix box to try anywhere. I have found rebuilt Bendix on eBay for $500 bucks. So I'm at, either spend $500 on something that I don't know will work or $2500 to convert it over to an automatic. So, does anybody have any experience with manual shift power steering, or more importantly does anybody have a junk Bendix box that's reasonable that I could try?

[jimmy828]

maybe this will help if you have not already checked it out. http://www.fordification.com/tech/powersteering.htm

[sargentrs]

If you have access to a welder, you could shorten the column by cutting the steering shaft, shift tube and column housing. http://www.fordification.com/tech/steering-column.htm or you can convert to a floor shift. Have you tried searching car-part.com for a correct whole column http://www.car-part.com/ ?

[darren121671]

I really don't want to cut the column as my welding skills are zero to none. I thought about relocating the dash mount on the column but that's going to set the steering wheel in the cab an inch more. So, I'm dead in the water unless I can find a Bendix gearbox.

[sargentrs]

That's going to be pretty hard to find. Red Head Steering Gears offers a rebuild service for a resonable price if you can find a core to send to them. Try posting in the parts wanted section. Where are you located? I still think your best bet is to find a complete column.

[Mach428]

I'm confused as to what your problems are.

I did this exact same conversion of my three on the tree from manual to Ford PS. From everything that I had read about the Bendix being more troublesome, I opted for the Saginaw / Ford box, which required me to shorten the steering column.

I followed the link on this site and everything worked perfectly...no problems and the truck is like a completely different vehicle.

So, first things first. If you can't weld, do the disassembly / rebuild / reassembly yourself and have a machine shop weld the shaft.

When that's finished, mount it in the truck like it's supposed to be and look for a good rebuilt box, brackets, and pump.

[Nitekruizer]

I did my power steering conversion in my '69 using a Ford P/S gearbox. I had to change my column, so I found a '73 F-350 four-speed truck with a Ford power steering gear and used the column from it. A perfect fit. The fact that that the column was from a 4-Speed truck wasn't an issue, because I was installing a 4-Speed in my truck anyway.

The only requirement is that the donor truck had to have a Ford power steering gear. In your case, it would also have to come from a donor truck that had "three on the tree".

[darren121671]

Thanks guys for all of your input. The column is no good to me like it is, so I'm gonna relocate the dash mount and see how that works. If not, it's automatic I go. Again, thanks for your input.

[Mach428]

I believe you will find that relocating the column bracket under the dash will simply place the wheel closer to the driver. It will look and feel quite odd.